اقلیت

From اقل (ekall, “less”) +‎ ـیت (-iyet, “-ness”). First attested in 1877.

• IPA^(key): /e.kal.li.jet/

اقلیت • (ekalliyet) (plural اقلیتلر)

1. minority (any subgroup that does not form a numerical majority)

• > Turkish: ekalliyet (inherited)
• → Azerbaijani: əqəlliyyət, əqəliyyət
• → Arabic: أَقَلِّيَّة (ʔaqalliyya)
• → Persian: اقلیت (aqalliyat)
  • → Gujarati: અકલિયત (akaliyat)
  • → Urdu: اَقَلِّیَت (aqalliyat)

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish اقلیت (ekalliyet). Equivalent to اقل (aqall) +‎ ـیت (-iyyat).

اقلیت • (aqalliyyat) (plural اقلیت‌ها)

1. minority

   Antonym: اکثریت (aksariyat)

   اقلیت‌های مذهبی ― aqalliyyat-hâ-ye mazhabi ― religious minorities

• → Gujarati: અકલિયત (akaliyat)
• → Urdu: اَقَلِّیَت (aqalliyat)

Borrowed from Classical Persian اقلیت (aqalliyyat), from Ottoman Turkish اقلیت (ekalliyet). First attested in c. 1936.

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /ə.qəl.lɪ.jət̪/
• (colloquial) IPA^(key): /əq.lɪ.jət̪/
• Rhymes: -ət̪

اَقَلِّیَت • (aqalliyat) f (Hindi spelling अक़ल्लियत)

1. minority

   Antonym: اکثریت (aksariyat, “majority”)

• “اقلیت”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “اقلیت”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.